A Silent Crisis: North America Has Lost Nearly 3 Billion Birds Since 1970

In 2019, scientists revealed a startling fact: North America has lost nearly 3 billion breeding birds over the past 50 years. This dramatic decline spans hundreds of species and ecosystems—from backyard birds to grassland and forest species.

But there is hope. Helping birds doesn’t require grand gestures—small changes in our daily lives can make a big difference.

Take Action: Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds  [Follow this link to “Seven Simple Actions to Help Birds.”]

Donate and/or Volunteer

Many local and state organizations work tirelessly to protect and restore bird habitat—through land stewardship, education, and conservation projects. These efforts are sustained by donations and volunteer support from people who care about birds and the natural world.

Iowa City Bird Club (ICBC) encourages our members and fellow birders to support these important efforts by giving what they can—whether it’s time, money, or advocacy—to organizations that protect and create habitat for birds.

It’s important to note that ICBC does not raise funds for habitat conservation directly. Our membership dues are kept low to cover only the essential costs of running the club, such as maintaining our website, producing newsletters, and hosting occasional events. All ICBC activities are carried out by dedicated volunteers.

While we don’t fund habitat conservation ourselves, we strongly believe in its value—and we urge our members to support organizations doing this crucial work. Every bit helps ensure a future where birds continue to thrive.

Iowa’s Public Lands Need Your Support

Iowa ranks near the bottom—49th among all states—in the amount of land designated as state parks or public natural areas. With approximately 85% of the state devoted to agriculture, access to public lands is limited.

County-managed parks and natural areas—covering about 200,000 acres—are a vital resource for outdoor recreation, wildlife, and clean water. But funding for these areas varies widely from county to county and is often insufficient to meet local needs.

Your support can make a real difference.  

Scroll down for organizations that help birds.
Local & State Organizations that Support Bird Habitat

Bur Oak Land Trust – “Our mission is advancing biodiversity in eastern Iowa by protecting resilient landscapes and connecting people to nature.  Bur Oak Land Trust preserves are protected lands in eastern Iowa full of plants and wildlife, and many are open to the public year-round.”

Ducks Unlimited Iowa -Their mission is conservation of wildlife habitat and 80% of every dollar goes directly to waterfowl habitat across North America.  DU has Iowa conservation projects, including one at Cone Marsh.

 Federal Duck Stamp -Though not required for bird watching like it is for hunting,  your purchase of duck stamps supports habitat for birds and wildlife.   98% of the purchase prices goes directly to help acquire and protect wetland habitat and purchase conservation easements for the National Wildlife Refuge System.  Buy these duck stamps at stores selling hunting & fishing gear, or through DNR’s Go Outdoors Iowa app.  Purchase the Wildlife Habitat Fee & Migratory Bird Fee for approximately $28 annually, re-issued yearly on July first.  

Friends of Johnson County Conservation – Supports the educational and conservation functions of Johnson County Conservation, through financial support and volunteer efforts. 

Iowa Audubon – Dedicated to Iowa’s birds- restoring and protecting habitat as well as education for citizens about conservation.

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation – Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is a statewide nonprofit conservation organization that works with private landowners and public agencies to protect and restore Iowa’s land, water and wildlife.  200,000 acres in Iowa are protected by 7,000 people supporting Iowa’s wild places.

Iowa Ornithologist’s Union – The purpose of IOU is to develop birders to encourage bird observation, identification and reporting and to share a consistent, trusted historical snapshot of birds in Iowa. Donations may be directed to a particular project area or given to the general fund for best use as determined by the Board of Directors. The amount of money available each year to the Projects Committee for funding grant requests is directly related to the gifts received in the previous year. Check out the kinds of activities we support.

Iowa Raptor Project/ School of the Wild – Our mission is to connect students and the people of the state of Iowa to the conservation of birds of prey and their natural habitats through transformative educational experiences and collaborative research projects. Iowa Wildlife Camps combine conservation education with outdoor activities to offer hands-on learning experiences for kids in grades 1 through 12.

 Iowa Young Birders –  Iowa Young Birders is a non-profit organization, funded by contributions from individuals and organization/business sponsors.   Your gifts have made is possible for us to offer more than 40 young birder field trips across Iowa over the past four years.

Natural Resources License Plate – Is a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) program selling car license plates; $35 for plate cost and $10 for renewal.  Funds go to the REAP Resource Enhancement and Protection Program, with a good portion dedicated to conservation of nongame species.

Raptor Advocacy Rehabilitation & Education – The RARE Group is a non-profit raptor rehabilitation and education organization located in Iowa City, Iowa. They are dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation of birds of prey throughout Iowa. Made up completely of volunteers, the clinic sees over 150 birds a year.

The Nature Conservancy Iowa – TNC manages 79 nature preserves in Iowa, all open to the public. Their vision for Iowa is healthy lands and water, plus sustainable agriculture that supports biodiversity and provides for the needs of Iowa and the world. Project managers across the state work within their own communities to protect and conserve private lands and work with agricultural producers and companies on best practices.

National Organizations Support Birds on Many Levels

American Bird Conservancy – ABC works with diverse partners across the Americas by advocating for solutions to urgent threats that put birds at risk. “We’ve made significant strides to prevent the extinction of the most endangered birds, conserve important bird habitat, reduce top threats to birds, and build an Americas-wide community of bird conservationists.”

Cornell Lab of Ornithology – “Your support of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology helps by enabling discovery of new knowledge to understand and protect nature, innovation of new technologies to reveal that knowledge, teaching to foster new leaders, inspiration to motivate change, and transformation of science to action to make a difference on the ground.”

American Birding Association – The ABA is a non-profit organization that provides leadership to birders by increasing their knowledge, skills, and enjoyment of birding. We are the only organization in North America that specifically caters to recreational birders. We also contribute to bird and bird habitat conservation through our varied program